Saptan Stories by the British Council in India marks 70 years of Indo-UK relations.

Two sentences about heartbreak. That’s what it took to kickstart a seven-week collaborative story-telling project between artists from two countries. Since the Saptan Stories project was launched on August 4 by the British animation studio Aardman, seven artists from India and the UK have been illustrating an evolving story that began with these lines: “I found it hard to get over my broken heart, I thought I never would. Then one night, by the moonlit river, something happened that changed everything.”

The project, by the British animation studio Aardman in association with the British Council in India as part of the UK-India Year of Culture 2017, is an attempt to make art less elitist. Since the launch, the seven artists have created three illustrations each for Saptan. After Aardman provided the opening sentences, each additional line has been selected from hundreds of entries submitted by an audience online. This process will continue till September 16, when the conclusion of the crowd-sourced story and the accompanying illustrations will be published.

“We felt that for this project to be worthwhile, it should be accessible for all,” said Neil Pymer, interactive creative director at Aardman Animations. “Anyone can write a line and have an instrumental effect on how the story develops. The collaborative aspect of the project will be intrinsic to its success and means that it can be enjoyed by millions through social media.”

“We are delighted to be working with Oscar-winning British animation studio Aardman Animations as part of the UK India Year of Culture,” added Alan Gemmell, Director of the British Council in India. “The project invites people to create and share a story together – celebrating the long tradition of storytelling in India and, we hope, connecting and inspiring people in the UK and India to make something unique together.”

Fifty shades of heartbreak

Illustration by Priyesh Trivedi.

The project was inspired by a story-building game called Consequences, in which a group of people take turns writing a word or a phrase to create a story together.

Each selected line is interpreted by the artists in their own unique style. For instance, the line about the broken heart is depicted by artist Priyesh Trivedi through the character from Trivedi’s wildly popular Adarsh Balak series, which parodies the ideal Indian son. With his perfectly groomed 1980s hair, the ideal boy sits broken-hearted making paper boats on a river bank.

Another interpretation by UK cartoonist Gemma Correll, features the cat familiar to anyone that follows Correll’s work on Instagram.

Illustration by Gemma Correll.

British artist Gavin Strange drew the broken-hearted reflection of the moon on water.

The other artists involved in the project are India’s Adrita Das and Saloni Sinha and UK’s Tom Mead, Gavin Strange and Janine Shroff.

The first line of the story was written by Pymer himself. “I wrote seven very different lines in terms of tone and content and had colleagues write seven stories collaboratively,” he said. “We wanted it to be universally encompassing, visually inspiring and open enough to motivate the next line of the story.”

To Sinha, a Chennai-based artist and designer, the line about heartbreak sounded profound and like something that could include an element of fantasy and surprise. “I tend to mix reality with imagination in my art to create images with a surreal quality so it sounded like it was right up my alley,” said the 29-year-old. “I can already see the works on Saptan Stories in a graphic novel format in my head.”

In Sinha’s interpretation, a long-haired woman looks into the distance as she contemplates heartbreak.

Illustration by Saloni Sinha.

Trivedi said he found the real-time interactive nature of the project both daunting and exciting. “We never know what the next line is going to be, but each illustration has to be linked to tell one cohesive story at the end of the seven weeks,” he said. “We get about two to three days for each illustration and it does put a lot of pressure on you but also lets you push your boundaries.”

Pymer noted that the project’s success lay in finding the right balance of artists who would compliment each other, while also being entirely individual.

“This is one of the most intriguing aspects of the project for me; seeing how the different creative visions of each artist are realised,” he said. “What will be the similarities in theme, symbolism and imagery that begin to materialise and reoccur… and just as important, the differences!”

Why do our clothes fade, tear and lose their sheen?

From purchase to the back of the wardrobe – the life-cycle of a piece of clothing.

It’s an oft repeated story - shiny new dresses and smart blazers are bought with much enthusiasm, only to end up at the back of the wardrobe, frayed, faded or misshapen. From the moment of purchase, clothes are subject to wear and tear caused by nature, manmade chemicals and....human mishandling.

Just the act of wearing clothes is enough for gradual erosion. Some bodily functions aren’t too kind on certain fabrics. Sweat - made of trace amounts of minerals, lactic acid and urea - may seem harmless. But when combined with bacteria, it can weaken and discolour clothes over time. And if you think this is something you can remedy with an antiperspirant, you’ll just make matters worse. The chemical cocktail in deodorants and antiperspirants leads to those stubborn yellowish stains that don’t yield to multiple wash cycles or scrubbing sessions. Linen, rayon, cotton and synthetic blends are especially vulnerable.

Add to that, sun exposure. Though a reliable dryer and disinfectant, the UV radiation from the sun causes clothes to fade. You needn’t even dry your clothes out in the sun; walking outside on a sunny day is enough for your clothes to gradually fade.

And then there’s what we do to our clothes when we’re not wearing them - ignoring labels, forgetting to segregate while washing and maintaining improper storage habits. You think you know how to hang a sweater? Not if you hang it just like all your shirts - gravity stretches out the neck and shoulders of heavier clothing. Shielding your clothes by leaving them in the dry-cleaning bag? You just trapped them in humidity and foul odour. Fabrics need to breathe, so they shouldn’t be languishing in plastic bags. Tossing workout clothes into the laundry bag first thing after returning home? It’s why the odour stays. Excessive moisture boosts fungal growth, so these clothes need to be hung out to dry first. Every day, a whole host of such actions unleash immense wear and tear on our clothes.

Clothes encounter maximum resistance in the wash; it’s the biggest factor behind premature degeneration of clothes. Wash sessions that don’t adhere to the rules of fabric care have a harsh impact on clothes. For starters, extra effort often backfires. Using more detergent than is indicated may seem reasonable for a tub full of soiled clothes, but it actually adds to their erosion. Aggressive scrubbing, too, is counterproductive as it worsens stains. And most clothes can be worn a few times before being put in the wash, unless of course they are sweat-soaked gym clothes. Daily washing of regulars exposes them to too much friction, hastening their wear and tear.

Different fabrics react differently to these abrasive agents. Natural fabrics include cotton, wool, silk and linen and each has distinct care requirements. Synthetic fabrics, on the other hand, are sensitive to heat and oil.

A little bit of conscious effort will help your clothes survive for longer. You can start by lessening the forces acting on the clothes while washing. Sort your clothes by fabric instead of colour while loading them in the washing machine. This helps save lighter fabrics from the friction of rubbing against heavier ones. It’s best to wash denim materials separately as they are quite coarse. For the same reason, clothes should be unzipped and buttoned before being tossed in the washing machine. Turning jeans, printed clothes and shirts inside out while loading will also ensure any abrasion is limited to the inner layers only. Avoid overloading the washing machine to reduce friction between the clothes.

Your choice of washing tools also makes a huge difference. Invest in a gentler detergent, devoid of excessive dyes, perfumes and other unnecessary chemicals. If you prefer a washing machine for its convenience, you needn’t worry anymore. The latest washing machines are far gentler, and even equipped to handle delicate clothing with minimal wear and tear.

Bosch’s range of top loading washing machines, for example, care for your everyday wear to ensure they look as good as new over time. The machines make use of the PowerWave Wash System to retain the quality of the fabrics. The WaveDrum movement adds a top-down motion to the regular round action for a thorough cleaning, while the dynamic water flow reduces the friction and pulling forces on the clothes.

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The intelligent system also creates water displacement for better movement of clothes, resulting in lesser tangles and clothes that retain their shape for longer. These wash cycles are also noiseless and more energy efficient as the motor is directly attached to the tub to reduce overall friction. Bosch’s top loading washing machines take the guesswork away from setting of controls by automatically choosing the right wash program based on the load. All that’s needed is a one-touch start for a wash cycle that’s free of human errors. Read more about the range here. You can also follow Bosch on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

This article was produced by the Scroll marketing team on behalf of Bosch and not by the Scroll editorial team.